Control device, resource manager and methods thereof

1. A control device for service availability management in a communication system, the control device comprising a processor configured to: receive a service request, wherein the service request comprises a request for a resource associated with a network function or a network service in the communication system; obtain a descriptor based on the service request, wherein the descriptor includes one of a virtual network function descriptor or a virtual link descriptor; determine metadata of a service availability level based on the descriptor; obtain a commissioning value, wherein the commissioning value is associated with requirements for a service; determine the service availability level for the resource associated with the network function or the network service based on the commissioning value and the metadata of the service availability level; determine a service availability and reliability requirement based on the service availability level; determine a policy for service availability management based on the service availability and reliability requirement, wherein the policy is associated with the resource; determine a resource request based on the policy; and send the resource request with a pre-emptive priority for the resource to a resource manager device, wherein a first resource has a first value of a service availability level and a second resource has a second value of a service availability level, wherein the first value is higher than the second value, and wherein the first resource has a pre-emptive priority compared with a resource with the second resource.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: include the service availability level or a resource indication of the service availability level in the resource request.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the resource indication of the service availability level is a resource index.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a resource request response from the resource manager device, wherein the resource request response includes an assigned resource corresponding to the resource associated with the network function or the network service; determine a service request response based on the resource request response; and transmit the service request response to the communication system.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the commissioning value from the communication system.

6. A resource manager for a communication system, the resource manager comprising a processor configured to: classify network function virtualization infrastructure resources in to a plurality of resource groups according to attributions of service availability and reliability; receive a resource request for scheduling virtual resources for instances and virtual links, wherein the resource request includes a value of a service availability level for a resource or a resource indication of the service availability level for the resource, wherein the resource is associated with a network function or a network service in the communication system, and wherein a first resource with a first value of a service availability level has a pre-emptive priority compared with a second resource with a second value of a service availability level, wherein the first value is higher than the second value, and wherein the resource indication of the service availability level for the resource is associated with one of the plurality of groups of network function virtualization infrastructure resources; determine a service availability and reliability requirement based on the value of the service availability level or the resource indication of the service availability level; and determine an assigned resource based on the value of the service availability level or the resource indication of the service availability level, wherein the assigned resource corresponds to the resource associated with the network function or the network service, and wherein the assigned resource fulfils the service availability and reliability requirement for the resource.

7. The resource manager according to claim 6 , wherein the resource indication of the service availability level is a resource index.

8. The resource manager according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a policy for a service availability management based on the service availability and reliability requirement; and determine the assigned resource for the network function or the network service based on the policy.

9. The resource manager according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to: include the assigned resource in a resource request response; and transmit the resource request response to a control device.

10. A method for service availability management, the method comprising: receiving, by a control device, a service request, wherein the service request comprises a request for a resource associated with a network function or a network service in a communication system; obtaining, by the control device, a descriptor based on the service request, wherein the descriptor includes one of a virtual network function descriptor or a virtual link descriptor; determining, by the control device, metadata of a service availability level based on the descriptor; obtaining, by the control device, a commissioning value, wherein the commissioning value is associated with requirements for a service; determining, by the control device, the service availability level for the resource associated with the network function or the network service based on the commissioning value and the metadata of the service availability level; determining, by the control device, a service availability and reliability requirement based on the service availability level; determining, by the control device, a policy for service availability management based on the service availability and reliability requirement, wherein the policy is associated with the resource; determining, by the control device, a resource request based on the policy; and sending, by the control device, the resource request with a pre-emptive priority for the resource to a resource manager device, wherein a first resource has a first value of a service availability level and a second resource has a second value of a service availability level, wherein the first value is higher than the second value, and wherein the first resource has a pre-emptive priority compared with a resource with the second resource.

11. A method, comprising: classifying, by a resource manager device, network function virtualization infrastructure resources in to a plurality of resource groups according to attributions of service availability and reliability; receiving, by the resource manager device, a resource request, wherein the resource request includes a value of a service availability level for a resource or a resource indication of the service availability level for the resource, wherein the resource is associated with a network function or a network service in a communication system, and wherein a first resource with a first value of a service availability level has a pre-emptive priority compared with a second resource with a second value of a service availability level, wherein the first value is higher than the second value, and wherein the resource indication of the service availability level for the resource is associated with one of the plurality of groups of network function virtualization infrastructure resources; determining, by the resource manager device, a service availability and reliability requirement based on the value of the service availability level or the resource indication of the service availability level; and determining, by the resource manager device, an assigned resource based on the value of the service availability level or the resource indication of the service availability level, wherein the assigned resource corresponds to the resource associated with the network function or the network service, and wherein the assigned resource fulfils the service availability and reliability requirement for the resource.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a program code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: receive a service request, wherein the service request comprises a request for a resource associated with a network function or a network service in the communication system; obtain a descriptor based on the service request, wherein the descriptor includes one of a virtual network function descriptor or a virtual link descriptor; determine metadata of a service availability level based on the descriptor; obtain a commissioning value, wherein the commissioning value is associated with requirements for a service; determine the service availability level for the resource associated with the network function or the network service based on the commissioning value and the metadata of the service availability level; determine a service availability and reliability requirement based on the service availability level; determine a policy for service availability management based on the service availability and reliability requirement, wherein the policy is associated with the resource; determine a resource request based on the policy; and send the resource request with a pre-emptive priority for the resource to a resource manager device, wherein a first resource has a first value of a service availability level and a second resource has a second value of a service availability level, wherein the first value is higher than the second value, and wherein the first resource has a pre-emptive priority compared with a resource with the second resource.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a program code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: classify network function virtualization infrastructure resources in to a plurality of resource groups according to attributions of service availability and reliability; receive a resource request for scheduling virtual resources for instances and virtual links, wherein the resource request includes a value of a service availability level for a resource or a resource indication of the service availability level for the resource, wherein the resource is associated with a network function or a network service in the communication system, and wherein a first resource with a first value of a service availability level has a pre-emptive priority compared with a second resource with a second value of a service availability level, wherein the first value is higher than the second value, and wherein the resource indication of the service availability level for the resource is associated with one of the plurality of groups of network function virtualization infrastructure resources; determine a service availability and reliability requirement based on the value of the service availability level or the resource indication of the service availability level; and determine an assigned resource based on the value of the service availability level or the resource indication of the service availability level, wherein the assigned resource corresponds to the resource associated with the network function or the network service, and wherein the assigned resource fulfils the service availability and reliability requirement for the resource.